In a different Light
by Loverly Light
Summary: Yami Bakura has a plan to gain the Puzzle in a Shadow Game in which he has the advantage. Will Yami Yuugi actually lose? And… what will happen to Yuugi if he does? Better summary when it wouldn’t be a spoiler.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!.

**In a different Light**

Chapter One

Yuugi Mutou slouched in his seat behind the counter, boredly thumbing through his Duel Monsters deck. It was Saturday mid-afternoon, and Yuugi was left watching a deserted store after his grandpa took a nap and asked Yuugi keep an eye on things.

The boy let out a sigh as he ran his fingers over his Dark Magician. It wasn't that he didn't like helping his grandfather out, but left alone and unable to leave wasn't really his preferred way of spending the weekend.

The bright chime of the entrance bell shook Yuugi from his thoughts, and his head shot up to find a familiar white-haired boy enter the store.

"Ah, Bakura-kun!" Yuugi called out cheerily, hopping from his seat and waving his good friend over. The boy smiled and approached.

"Hello, Yuugi-kun. What are you doing behind the counter?"

"Grandpa asked me to watch the store for him. So, what brings you here, Bakura-kun?" Yuugi asked, standing on his tiptoes to see over the counter easier.

Ryou looked slightly hesitant. "Well, I was kind-of hoping I could play a game with you… but if you're busy…"

Yuugi glanced around Ryou at the door. No one was nearby… and it was rare for Ryou to want to play with Yuugi due to the situation with their yamis…

"To tell the truth, you're the first person who's come in yet today. I'm sure it'll be fine if we play it here in the store."

Ryou brightened up at his friend's remark. "That'd be great!"

Yuugi grinned. "Come on, let's go pick out a game."

Yuugi practically skipped down the hallway towards the storage cabinet, delighted at the prospect of escaping from the boredom, while Ryou followed at a more moderate pace, amused smile on his face as he watched his friend. Yuugi was so easily excited…

The shorter boy stepped into a musty back room, pulling a small chain to turn on the solitary lightbulb. The small yellow light flickered and dimmed for a second before illuminating the room, revealing a myriad of all sorts of games on home-made wooden stand-up shelves, along with a thick layer of dust. Yuugi grinned as he stretched out a hand to lift a board game from the shelf in front of him, wiping off the dust with his sleeve. That was one of the great things about living in a game shop…

"Hey, what about this, Bakura-kun?" Yuugi turned around, waving the rectangular box so the plastic pieces inside clinked together.

"I'm not sure…" Ryou glanced at the innocuous game. "Isn't that game for more than two people?"

Yuugi blinked, then checked the box again. "Oh! Right. How about…"

Yuugi stood on his tiptoes, reaching out for a game on a shelf that was just beyond his range. Finally he knocked it into his hands, blowing the dust off and this time checking to make sure it was a game he and Ryou could play alone. He would like to have Yami come out and play with them, but being a spirit made it hard for him to hold the cards, not to mention that when one yami showed his face the other was not long to follow.

Besides, Yuugi thought with a smile, if they played a game against Yami, it was pretty much already determined who would win.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Yuugi glanced down at the mutely colored box and frowned.

_Three or more players… maybe all the ones in this area are._

"Hey, Bakura, I'm gonna go grab a puzzle or something. Wait here, okay?" Yuugi knew the back room could be something of a maze to someone who hadn't maneuvered it before.

Ryou nodded, and Yuugi grinned, dashing off to try and find a puzzle.

Yuugi wandered further in, grateful for the common bare patches in the stacks; otherwise, it would almost completely dark. As it was, in the corner he found himself in, there was enough light that he could see easily enough, although it was slightly darker than his eyes were accustomed to.

Yuugi grabbed a puzzle box from the shelf, glancing it over to make sure it wasn't too simple or too challenging.

Suddenly, a dark chuckle rang out near his ear.

Yuugi let out a cry and leapt up in surprise, half-turning around to find Yami Bakura stand but a few feet from him.

"B-Bakura…!"

Before either could further react, there was a flash of light and Yami Yuugi stood in his hikari's place, glaring at the smug Bakura.

"What do you want, Bakura?" Yami demanded, folding his arms over his chest.

Bakura frowned and leaned back, although a smirk soon returned to his face.

"I believe I already told your hikari, Pharaoh. I wish to play a game with you."

"With our Millenium Items at stake, of course." Yami said blandly, then sighed. "Very well, let's get it over with."

Bakura let out a low chuckle as the Shadow Realm began to for around them. Oh, how the Pharaoh would rue assuming this would be like the other times…

Because this time, Bakura actually intended to win.

A few seconds later, and the battleground was formed. The yamis sat across from each other, with an odd mirror in-between them. The mirror was odd in the fact that they could see to the other side as easily as they could see behind them.

Behind them stood their hikaris.

* * *

"What?!" Yami exclaimed, twisting in his seat to face Yuugi.

"Yami—!" The boy ran towards his other half, only to be stopped short as tendrils of darkness rooted him to the spot.

"Bakura, what's going on?" Yuugi cried in confusion before Yami demanded the exact same explanation.

Ryou just stood behind his yami, eyes wide. He had been making himself lunch, when control was snatched away without warning. And now this… Ryou didn't know his yami was going to try and fight Yuugi again soon, but he supposed it wasn't really a surprise. He had a bad feeling about this, though… Bakura wouldn't separate from him unless he specifically needed Ryou or he felt incredibly cocky… or both.

Bakura smirked, gazing at the two.

"It's the game, Pharaoh's yadonushi. You can't leave the spot, or else you'd ruin it. And we don't want that…"

Yami's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Bakura, what are the rules to this game?"

"Little more than an… endurance contest. Whichever of us turns away from the mirror first loses. Don't worry," Bakura added as an aside when he saw Yami about to protest, "the game hasn't started yet. It wouldn't be fair if you were disqualified before we got to have any fun, would it?"

Yami growled softly. He had a feeling Bakura was more concerned about his "fun" than being fair to him…

"So we have to continue looking at each other for a long time, is that it? Although I don't like the prospect of having to look at you for that long, that can't be all."

Bakura frowned. "No, that's not all. Each person is able to… encourage to other to turn around in whatever way they desire." The look on his face slowly morphed into a dark grin. "That includes manipulating our surroundings… adding or blocking sounds, changing vision… even directly affecting any other persons in the area…"

Yami gasped. This was all about their hikaris… anything could happen to them, and he couldn't help them without losing! And Bakura knew how protective he was… he knew that he couldn't bear to see Yuugi in pain, and also that he wouldn't allow himself to bring harm to Ryou either. While Bakura would have no problem with harming either…

Bakura chuckled as he saw the realization drain his enemy's face of color.

"Bakura! This isn't fair!"

"How? You are allowed the same resources I am. It would be your fault if you choose not to use them."

Yami clenched his fists, then let out a quiet breath. He could still win this… he would just have to think.

"Well, if there are no objections…" Bakura suggested, letting his voice trail off.

Yuugi and Ryou both glanced at Yami worriedly, but the spirit remained silent. A grin crept upon the white-haired yami as he watched the Pharoah's bowed head.

"Let the Shadow Game begin!"

* * *

Author's note: Why am I starting this out with a Shadow Game, you ask? Because obviously it's what happens after that matters. ^^ Anyway, there's some stuff in here which is built off of theories not generally considered true, but will for this fic. They'll be explained over the course of the fic. And the chapters in this fic will be kinda short, but this is shorter than the usual ones will, sorry. ^^"


	2. Chapter 2

**In a different Light**

Chapter two

Yami Yuugi bit his lip lightly in consternation. Usually he never got this anxious this early in a game but… this was different. He needed to think. He could generally play games without having to think at all, just acting on instinct or following one of the myriad of tactics he had memorized. It wasn't that Yami wasn't good at thinking, he just did all his thinking outside of gaming.

In games, you don't think.

You act.

Which is exactly what Yami Bakura did.

Yami watched as the Yuugi in the mirror quickly raised a hand to his mouth, sinking to the floor as he began to choke, soon coughing up blood.

"Yuugi…" Yami breathed, having to quickly remind himself not to rush to Yuugi's side.

Yuugi raised his head, eyes glazed slightly in pain.

"Y-Yami… save me…" he stuttered out before letting out a cry of pain, clutching at his forehead.

Yami stared at his hands, which had clenched instinctively into fists in his lap, measuring his breath in an attempt to calm down. Remember what's at stake here. If you lose, Yuugi loses the Puzzle. Your bond with him with be broken, and he'd be unprotected. You have to protect him… which means for the moment, you have to harden your heart against him.

Yami licked his dry lips. He knew he couldn't win by simply playing defense… he had to coerce Bakura into turning away, somehow.

He closed his eyes, hoping his plan would work, then acted.

The mirror's Ryou let out a gasp and flew backwards, struck in the stomach by an invisible hand. Yami chewed the inside of his lip anxiously as the image of Ryou managed to get onto his elbows, coughing and choking for air. Hopefully Bakura couldn't tell Yami wasn't harming his actual host…

A strain of amused laughter rippled through the air, and Yami glanced at Bakura to see him laughing at Ryou's "pain". Yami frowned. He knew Bakura was evil, but he didn't seem to get this amused over pain usually…

Once Bakura had recovered, he shook his head in reprimand. "You'll have to try better than that, Ou-sama. Do you really have that little imagination? Here, let me help you."

Yuugi let out an ear-piercing wail, and Yami saw his hikari's reflection thrown into the air, crashing into the floor with a wide, red gash on his chest.

It took all of Yami's willpower to keep himself from spinning around.

Bakura chuckled. This was even more fun than he thought it would be.

* * *

Yuugi clenched his teeth as he saw his distorted reflection. He knew Bakura wanted to create a Shadow Game that would be heavily in his favor, but did he have to toy with Yami's head so cruelly? He was purposefully using their bond as a weapon, while he could care less about his host's condition unless he was in danger of dying, leaving Bakura most likely dead as well, but certainly hostage-less.

Yuugi frowned sadly. He never liked how tenuous the bond between Ryou and his yami was. Of course he would never wish for his friend to be fighting against him, but he also wished the two Bakuras could have the same friendship Yuugi had with Yami. It must be quite a strain, sharing a body with one who opposed everything you were. Funny how Bakura turned even that weakness into a strength…

Suddenly, Yuugi realized something. According to the rules of the game, Bakura was allowed to harm Yuugi in any way he'd like, yet all the thief's attention went to the image in the mirror.

"Why… why isn't he hurting me?" Yuugi muttered.

"Because I don't particularly want to harm you. Besides, if I cause the Pharaoh to fall because of a mere illusion, that would be even more entertaining."

Yuugi's attention snapped forwards, to find Bakura looking him in the eye, grinning darkly.

"I thought you liked causing gratuitous violence."

"Oh, certainly, in most cases. But I think in this case it would be nice if all the Pharaoh's worries and concerns were for naught."

Yuugi frowned. "Why are you even talking to me? If Yami knew you weren't actually harming me his will would be a lot stronger…"

Bakura leaned back in his seat and smirked. "Because sound distortion is also allowed. Currently he thinks I'm taunting him."

Yuugi raised an eyebrow. "While making eye contact with me?"

Bakura chuckled slightly. "Well, you don't know what I'm telling him, do you?"

Yuugi did his best to full-out glare at the yami, although he himself realized that he did a pretty pitiful job of it.

Bakura frowned slightly. Yuugi realized Yami must have said something that upset the other spirit, which caused Yuugi's face to brighten.

"Way to go, Yami." Yuugi murmured, in praise of whatever his yami had said. Bakura's eyes snapped sharply back to Yuugi.

"I could hurt you for real, you know."

Yuugi snapped his mouth shut.

_Come on, Yami… you can beat him. I know you can!_

* * *

Yami let his eyes ease shut for a moment to think. Bakura knew as well as him he would be unable to harm Ryou. So, what could force Bakura to turn around? The only times Bakura had really paid attention to his host before was when he tried to defy him, and…

Wait. That actually could work, with a little bit of concentration… Yami focused on the link between Bakura's Ring and the ghostly doppelganger Ryou's soul bore and went to work.

* * *

Bakura put a finger to his lips in thought. Now, what could he do to "Yuugi" next?

Suddenly his head shot up, and he gave a quiet gasp. He felt something tugging at the Ring's magic…

His head snapped up to the image of his hikari in the mirror. Ryou's hands were resting on the Ring, which was glowing slightly…

The human smiled weakly at Bakura. "I won't let you do this to my friends. I'll draw away enough of the Ring's magic and end this game."

Bakura frowned as he switched his attention to Yami Yuugi, who was wearing his typical smirk once more. It was true Ryou would be physically able to do such a thing, but…

He glanced back to Ryou's defiant reflection, then let out a quiet chuckle.

"Oh, don't even try that, Ou-sama. It's no use. Ryou knows better than to try and stop me."

Yami's eyes instinctually darted to where Ryou was standing, and was saddened to, indeed, find him rooted to the spot out of fear. However, he quickly shifted his attention back to Bakura, setting his features back to a cocky smirk.

"Oh, so you know Ryou so well? You have him figured out so neatly that he no longer has a will of his own?"

"No, not anymore he doesn't."

Yami frowned slightly, but then a dangerous look came into his eyes. "Very well. I'll just say this; don't get cocky, Bakura. You should know that danger come from the most innocuous places."

Bakura growled softly, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'm through playing around."

Swiftly darkness began to engulf the image of Yuugi, and within a few short seconds it went blank. Yami's eyes widened. There was no reflection anymore…

"Yami! Help!" the spirit heard the panicked voice of his aibou call out to him. The Pharaoh couldn't stop himself from reacting. He had to see if the other him was okay.

He spun around in his seat quickly… to find Yuugi standing there safe and sound. A look somewhat of pity, somewhat of horror rested on the boy's face, and Yami soon grasped why.

Yami had lost.

* * *

"Yami…" Yuugi whispered, concerned. Even though the game had ended, he was still frozen to the spot, unable to comfort his other half. The Pharaoh was facing his opponent once more, slumping slightly, quite unlike his usual posture. Yuugi knew why, though.

_Bakura's going to take the Puzzle… and we might not ever get to see each other again…_

Bakura smirked victoriously at the shaking Pharaoh.

"Well… it's seems I've won." Bakura commented smugly, feeling rather pleased with himself.

Yami remained silent, his head bowed, casting his face in shadows.

_Yuugi… I'm sorry…_

Bakura stood up slowly, stretching his arms in an exaggerated motion. "Well, time to claim my prize, don't you think?"

The Theif King didn't seem very concerned at Yami's lack of response as he lazily circled the area before stopping in front of his fallen foe. He stood there for a second, before reaching a hand towards the Millenium Puzzle. That moment Yami's head snapped up, glaring darkly at Bakura, causing the other yami to recoil instinctually.

"Bakura, you can't do this."

"Why not? You lost the game. This is my prize. Don't worry, the world won't crumble in your absence. At least," here Bakura paused, as if to ponder something, "not until I choose it to."

With that, Bakura's hand latched around the Puzzle, yanking it off Yami's head, being careful not to break the cord. He admired it for a second before sending Yami one last, mocking smirk, slipping the new Item over his head and walking off.

The Shadow Realm slowly faded, leaving Yami in the back room once more, seated on the floor and leaning against one of the shelves. Bakura was nowhere in sight.

How could he have let himself get fooled like that? Yami berated himself mentally. Why hadn't he tried to stop the Shadow Game? Why couldn't he have tried to shift the rules, figure out some way he could gain the upper hand? Now the Puzzle was gone, and…

Yami frowned. The Puzzle was gone, but… he was still in control. He hadn't been taken along with the Puzzle. But, despite the fact he was still here, something felt very wrong, very… empty. Something was very wrong… no, something very important was missing. But what?

Yami's eyes widened with realization.

"Yuugi…"

* * *

Author's notes: I am SO terribly sorry for the long wait! This chapter was very difficult for me, but fortunately the next ones will be easier, and the next chapter is almost finished so expect a update fairly soon. Hope this chapter didn't turn out too stilted...

Anyway, I'm very happily surprised so many people like this story so far. I hope you won't be dissapointed in how it turns out. Oh yes, from next chapter on I'll respond to reveiws in this section.

Finally... it's my birthday today! I'm 17 years old now~


	3. Chapter 3

**In a different Light**

Chapter Three

"U-Unh…" Yuugi whimpered softly, closed eyes furrowing as a dull pain covered his body.

He propped himself up on shaky hands and knees, only to have a fresh wave of pain knock him back to the ground. The teenager cried out weakly, letting out a shaky breath in an attempt to calm himself. What was going on? Where was he? And this pain... it felt like something had been ripped away from him forcefully, something important... Yuugi gave a steadier breath as the pain slowly ebbed, while he continued trying to remember what had...

Yami!

The boy's eyes shot open violently as he recalled what had just transpired.

Yami gave the Puzzle to Yami Bakura, that was the last thing he could remember. He remembered watching in horror as Yami grudging handed the Puzzle to his enemy, then... then darkness had fallen. What had happened when Yami was taken from him?

Yuugi winced slightly, trying to grasp at any other possible clues as to what was going on but failing miserably. Slowly Yuugi pulled himself upright, glancing around the area.

To his surprise, his gaze was immediately confronted with the sandy bricks, winding stairwells and dark, knotted door of his yami's Soul Room. Dazedly, Yuugi stood up, laying a hand on the dry bricks. But, how was he here?

For a moment, Yuugi felt hope grow. If he was in Yami's Soul Room, then the spirit himself must be here! The young man dashed forward, turning a corner with a smile on his face, hoping against hope that his friend and partner would be just around the bend.

Nothing was there.

Yuugi's smile faded.

"Yami?" He whispered to the air. A haunting wail of wind was all that answered.

Yugi gulped slightly, and the fact that he could be alone in here hit him.

No. No, it wasn't possible. This was the Puzzle's Soul Room, right? So obviously Yami _had_ to be in here...

"Yami! Where are you?" Yuugi called out as he continued to run, trying to hold onto the hope that was swiftly fading. In a few seconds, he ended up right where he started.

Yuugi leaned up against one of the stairs, wrapping his arms around himself as a chill began to settle over him. Without Yami in the Soul Room, the place was so intimidating, and...

Lonely.

* * *

Bakura chuckled softly as he leapt up the tree leading to Ryou's bedroom window. He smirked slightly as he opened the window, recalling how Ryou kept silently disapproving of the way his yami liked to enter his home— like a thief, the boy had mentioned once. Bakura chuckled once more in amusement. So what if he preferred an unconventional method of entering? It was how he was used to getting into buildings.

Besides, he knew that after his actions today, Ryou would have a lot more to disapprove of than just this.

Bakura slipped into Ryou's desk chair, admiring his newest Item that now hung around his neck. He couldn't help but feel a touch of ironic sadness that it ended this way. He had always imagined the Puzzle would be his final conquest, after beating the Pharaoh down slowly, oh-so-slowly, until he was nothing and Bakura had won once and for all. But Bakura had grown impatient. Except the Eye, he had not yet seen a good opportunity for getting the five Items other than the Ring and the Puzzle, and he knew he need to gain more power soon if he was to succeed. Well, he could always torment the Pharaoh once he had finally won. Besides, seeing his tortured visage in their match was enough to tide him over for the moment.

The Ring spirit smirked once more, then clenched the Puzzle with one fist. It was time to find out more about his newest asset.

* * *

Yuugi rested his hand on the round door handle, hesitating for a moment. Only a short while of standing in the middle of the room had made him decide he should try and find a way out, but now that he was here, he wasn't quite as sure any more. If he was here… then where _was_ Yami? If his yami wasn't here, where could he be? Was Yami in danger? Was _he _in danger? Even while he found this place unnerving, Yuugi knew he was safe here… but what would he find outside? With Yami gone, he had no assurance of even finding his own soul room. But…

Yuugi gulped, then turned the handle and pushed the door out. He had to find out what was going on.

A blast of freezing air hit the small boy, and he cowered back, shielding his eyes and wondering why he thought the lonely breeze in Yami's room was cold. This air was icy and biting, stinging at the boy's covered eyes.

After a few more seconds the wind died down, and Yuugi uncovered his eyes and looked around. As he glanced around the area, he came to the conclusion this was definitely not the corridor between his and Yami's soul rooms.

The corridor, instead of being an endless stream of black, was lit by a cruel blue light, making the close dusty brown walls almost painfully visible. Right across from Yuugi was what Yuugi assumed to be a door, although the slightly different coloring was the only marker on that account as it blended seamlessly with the corridor walls. Well, not quite the only defining point; Yuugi also noticed it also had the same knotted dark growth that was on the door of his own yami's…

A sharp clang rang out, and Yuugi shook his head slightly and pulled back as he realized he had unconsciously been walking towards the door. He turned around to find Yami Yuugi's soul room door had swung shut, presumably the cause of the clamber.

Yuugi blinked. While he was turning back, something had caught his eye…

The boy turned to the left, and felt his eyes widen to find a third door. This door was a simple one, one you might find in any house. Yuugi did notice the pure white paint chipping in a few places, though.

Yuugi paused for a second, then walked towards the far more inviting door at the head of the corridor.

He knocked on the door, hoping for some answers but feeling a little silly. It wasn't like he was going to one of his friend's houses or anything, after all.

The doorknob turned, and the door swung open with a quiet squeak.

"W-what is it?" a white-haired boy asked with a very confused expression on his face.

Both boys stared at each other for a second, wide-eyed. Yuugi gulped at the air for a moment until he gained enough to whisper the other boy's name.

"R-Ryou?!"

* * *

Bakura opened his eyes to the familiar darkness of his soul room. If he wanted to find out the full capabilities of the Puzzle, it would be best to do it from the inside. He waved his hand to the side, forcing the shadows to retreat for a moment and reveal the path out. He strode out quickly, unfazed by his surroundings. He was used to the sprawling, concealing darkness. It was just doing what he had invited it to do. He much preferred these shadows to what was hiding behind them.

Bakura pushed the door open with one palm, listening to the dull thud as it slammed against the dusty walls. Time to look for the Puzzle…

"What was that, Ryou?"

"I-I'm not sure…"

Bakura froze, frowning slightly. Who had said that? How could there be someone in here for Ryou to talk to? Unless his yadonushi had finally snapped… but no, that first voice didn't sound like Ryou's. In fact, it almost sounded like…

Bakura paled a shade. No… no, that couldn't be. He had known of the possibility of having to deal with the Pharaoh, but not _him_! Still…

It wasn't impossible. In fact, it wasn't even really such a bad thing. If it really was _him_, it would be easier to deal with him. And if he played his cards right…

A wicked smile slowly grew over the Thief King's face. This might turn out better than he could have ever hoped.

He walked across the hall to where the new addition lay. He rested a hand against the dark material; quickly divining no one was in it at the moment. Bakura turned away and swiftly stalked towards his host's Room, kicking his own Room's door shut as he went. He could find out more about the Puzzle later. First, he would find out what exactly was going on and plan his next step.

His hand rested on the door handle and gently twisted, opening the door noiselessly to keep from alerting the inhabitant. A small smirk grew on his visage once more as he confirmed his theory.

Yuugi was there.

The two teenagers were sitting on Ryou's bed. The spiky-haired boy was hugging his knees, a look of dawning horror on his face as he came to grips with the fact that not only was he in a situation completely out of his or any of his friends' control, but was also no longer even in his own body. Ryou, on the other hand, had a look of sad, quiet determination glistening in his clear blue eyes. But both were obviously confused, and both also obviously had no idea of what to do next.

"So what were you saying, Yuugi?" Ryou asked softly, facing away from Bakura and unaware of his yami's presence.

"Oh, right. You know that Bakura stole the Puzzle?"

Bakura suppressed a snort. Stolen, indeed. He had fairly beaten the Pharaoh, no thievery involved. Not this time.

"Yes… and I'm assuming that's how you got here?"

"That's the only possibility that makes sense, but… it doesn't quite fit. I mean, I'm the Puzzle's host, but my soul's my own. Yami is the one who inhabits the Puzzle. So… if one of us was taken… why was it me?"

Ryou bit his lip in thought, leaning back against the bedpost.

"Well, maybe… Yami was in control when my yami took the Puzzle, right?"

"Yes."

"So, perhaps it's not that your soul is always in your body, and Yami's is always in the Puzzle."

"What do you mean…?"

"Well…" Ryou leaned forwards slightly. "We know there always has to be one soul for each Soul Room, and vice versa, correct? And the Items themselves are what house the additional Soul Rooms. So what if, unless there is some type of interference, the soul that is not in control temporarily inhabits the extra Soul Room? And then you were taken while your soul was in your yami's Room… it makes sense, doesn't it?"

"My my, how knowledgeable you are, yadonushi."

Both boys let out synchronized gasps, and whirled around to face the smirking Yami.

"B-Bakura!" Ryou exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't you mean, 'what's Yuugi doing here'?" Bakura asked, pinning his dark gaze on his enemy's host. Yuugi gulped quietly, unable to flinch from Bakura's overpowering stare.

"Well, don't worry. I won't interrupt; I just wanted to confirm something. Stay here and don't cause trouble."

Ryou leapt up from his seat as Bakura turned to leave the room, correcting anticipating his yami's intention.

"Bakura, wait, don't—!"

Ryou's words were lost on Bakura as he closed the door behind him, grasping the handle and letting a bit of shadow magic seal the two away. He couldn't leave them to possibly interfere with his upcoming experiments. If everything worked as he hoped it would…

In an instant the spirit's attention snapped back to the real world and the body he currently inhabited. He had a new plan, thanks to his acquisition of the Pharaoh's former host, but he needed to make sure that it would work. Slipping the Puzzle over his neck once more, Bakura leaned back against the headboard of Ryou's bed. If this was going to work, he would have to be... careful. He couldn't afford to risk Ryou regaining control if things went wrong.

Gingerly pulling the Ring off from underneath the new Item, Yami Bakura let out a slow breath as he twisted his fingers around the thick rope and lifted the Ring to meet his eyeline. This was more of a gamble than he'd prefer, but if he lost control, the Ring would drop back in his lap and he could take over once more.

Clenching the rope tightly but making sure no part of the Ring touched his body, Bakura steeled himself. This was the tricky part, trying to pull himself completely from the Ring. The yami eased his eyes shut once more, and slid back into the harshly-lit hallway. He could hear some frantic pounding from the opposite side of Ryou's door, but the shadows held fast like Bakura knew they would. After pulling the door to Yami's soul room open in a careless hurry, the spirit turned to face his room.

Unanchoring his soul from the Ring would be difficult, to say the least. If he hadn't seen what had happened to the Pharaoh after their game, he wouldn't have even considered trying.

Well, waiting around wouldn't make things any simpler. Bakura flung open the door to his room and tugged at his essence with all his might.

For a moment, not much of anything happened. Then the soul room started pulling back. The yami strained, gritting his teeth in his invisible war against the Ring. Soon his head started to ache and his muscles began to stretch and pull, but he held on tightly.

In a moment everything changed. The force Bakura was tugging against suddenly stopped, no longer offering resistance. The lack of pull caused the yami to fly backwards, into the Puzzle's soul room. Cautiously Bakura pulled himself to his feet, and glanced around. This was still the Pharaoh's soul room, but now it was clouded, obscured by the dark haze Bakura always kept present. He could feel things, scraps of emotion and memory, _his _memory, flitting about in the darkness. He strode across the hallway and looked in at his former room.

The space was bare. Not black like before, the room was now a soft grey expanse that screamed emptiness and seemed to stretch on for eternity. A smile slowly growing on his face, the spirit shut the door firmly.

Pulling back to the real world with careful optimism, Bakura glanced up at the hands- his hands- holding onto the Ring. He flung the Item away, letting it land on the wooden floor with a clatter.

Bakura grinned.

It had worked out perfectly after all.

* * *

After trying vainly for several minutes to wrench the door open, Yuugi and Ryou decided to wait out their lockdown. The two hosts sat next to each other, leaning up against Ryou's soul room bed. Ryou pulled his legs to his chest and bit his lip in consternation. He should have done something! Back then, in the Shadow Game, he should have done something, _anything_, instead of standing there doing nothing. But he couldn't help it… Bakura terrified him. It always took all of Ryou's will to oppose him with anything more than inward disapproval… but he did feel a strong sense of guilt for his inaction. He should have recognized what was at stake. Even though he knew he probably wouldn't have been able to change anything, he still felt as though this was his fault. And now his best friend was in danger…

"I'm so sorry you were pulled into this, Yuugi." Ryou murmured, sadness etched plainly on his face. Yuugi turned to regard the taller boy and frowned slightly, then gave his friend a hug.

"Don't be! I was involved in this ever since I got the Puzzle, you know."

"Yes, but Bakura…" Ryou's hands waved in the air vaguely as he tried to gather his thoughts. He had to explain things to Yuugi before Bakura turned his attention to both of them again. Things were not good, but being prepared could only improve Yuugi's chances of getting out of this relatively unscathed. "He's very… overbearing, and… volatile. You're in danger here, Yuugi."

Yuugi gulped slightly. Yes… he knew being here was quite possibly the most dangerous situation he had ever been in, and he had gotten in some pretty bad scrapes before. And now he didn't even have Yami by his side… he was all alone, and he was acutely aware of that fact that, even if he tried his best to act carefully, he could get hurt. Still, he plastered his best impression of a sincere smile on his face and grinned up at Ryou.

"I know. But you'll be here, Ryou, right? You'll help and protect me, ne?"

Ryou smiled shakily. "Yeah. I promise I won't leave you alone."

* * *

Author's notes: ...oh my gosh you guys I am so so so so SO sorry. I don't know if anyone is still reading this, but... well, there's stuff on my profile. Anyway, I'm back! I'll be responding to reviews via PM from now, so these notes don't eat up so much space. Anyway, you guys are all totally awesome.

Oh, just in case you were wondering, my idea about the Millenium Items, and that Yuugi was taken instead of Yami, is really not all that far-fetched. In fact, there is support for that idea in the manga. In volume 4 of the original manga, when Yami, Jonouchi and Mokuba are having dinner, Yami takes off the Puzzle and uses it to defeat Mokuba. He stays in control the whole time, even though he is not touching the Puzzle or even the Puzzle's chain. (However, the idea that Yuugi went there is my own idea.) Sorry if that was long and/or unnecessary, I just didn't want people complaining how it couldn't happen in the actual series.

Thank you so much to everyone who's read/favorited/reviewed, and I hope you enjoyed this (very long time coming) update!


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